BERLIN, May 15 (Xinhua) -- German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius and visiting British Defence Secretary John Healey on Thursday agreed to start working on a new "Deep Precision Strike Capability" system aimed at a range of over 2,000 km.
Given the current threat situation, there is an urgent need for such long-range weapons and to close the "Deep Precision Strike" capability gap, said a statement issued by the German Defence Ministry after their meeting.
British Ministry of Defence said that the new 2,000-km precision deep strike capability will be among the most advanced systems ever designed by Britain, to safeguard the British public and reinforce NATO deterrence, while boosting British and European defence sectors.
The two sides also agreed to strengthen cooperation in terms of equipment systems, countering undersea threats, and developing further connectivity between their air forces.
The two ministers also discussed support for Ukraine as well as the upcoming NATO summit in June, where discussions are expected to focus on defence budget sharing among NATO member countries.
The new German federal government has promised to step up its spending on national defence and build a strong army.
Germany's Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul said earlier on Thursday that the country backs proposal to increase defence spending to 5 percent of GDP. ■